Gleason: Loss of Revis puts pressure on Jets' defense and offense

Tuesday

Sep 25, 2012 at 2:00 AM

We can only imagine Rex Ryan's reaction the moment somebody told him his best player was done for the season. Any casual observer of HBO's 2011 edition of "Hard Knocks'' could picture an especially salty response.

Kevin Gleason

We can only imagine Rex Ryan's reaction the moment somebody told him his best player was done for the season. Any casual observer of HBO's 2011 edition of "Hard Knocks'' could picture an especially salty response.

Who could blame him this time? Darrelle Revis' torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee signals the end of his season, no matter what kind of false hope Ryan advanced Monday. The question is whether it signals the beginning of the end to the Jets' season.

The really good quarterbacks make everyone better on offense. Revis made everyone better on defense from the cornerback position. Most great defenses are built around the pass rush. The Jets' defense — sometimes great, sometimes merely good — was secured by Revis. He almost always negated the opponent's best receiver in a league powered by the pass. He was a solid run-stopper and made big plays.

Now, Revis is like the rest of us in one manner. He is a curious spectator.

The Jets were playing from behind before the season even started. They had to iron out problems on the offensive line. They had to prove Mark Sanchez would be OK and get enough help from the guys paid to catch footballs. And, of course, the Jets had to decide how they were going to use the biggest toy in their Cracker Jack box, Tim Tebow.

Despite two wins in three games, the Jets are no closer to solving most of their issues out of training camp. The offensive line has supplied their most promising unit. Sanchez has been OK, but difficult to grade given his dearth of capable receivers. And the Jets-Tebow marriage has been grounds for an annulment.

The good news is they have played less than 20 percent of the season and Revis' replacement, Kyle Wilson, has shown signs of being a much better player in his third season.

Still, the Jets are in a whole lot of trouble. The Giants probably could sustain such a loss because of their monster pass rush. The Jets' tepid rush only complicates their problems.

"I've also had some experiences where you lose some corners,'' a downcast Ryan said at Monday's news conference. "In Baltimore, I think we lost three or four corners in one year. We just have to pick it up and maybe play some opponents differently. Again, we will find a way.''

Ryan will have to do his best work to get this team a sniff of the playoffs. Sanchez will have to make plays with "B" receivers. Tight end Dustin Keller needs to have his best season. And the Jets better figure out how to use Tebow seamlessly and effectively.

The Jets were supposed to return to a ground-and-pound offense. Now, they need to take that blue-collar mentality to the defensive end. Their star is out for the season. The Jets still have the makings of a pretty good defense.

Revis' injury, however, could show itself most on offense. The Jets must drastically improve with the ball, or Revis' season-ending injury will soon precede the end of the Jets' season.